Ran Binyamin's Late Stunner Lifts FC Dallas Past Real Salt Lake 4-3 After Petar Musa Brace

Real Salt Lake had done the hard part. Down 3-1 at halftime, they clawed all the way back to 3-3 and had America First Field believing. Then, in the 90th minute, rookie substitute Ran Binyamin wound up from outside the box, and his first career MLS goal ripped the night right out of their hands.

FC Dallas beat Real Salt Lake 4-3 on Wednesday night in Sandy, Utah, in a seven-goal game that had a little bit of everything. Petar Musa scored twice in the first half, Joaquín Valiente scored once and set up both of Musa's goals, and RSL answered through Sergi Solans, Morgan Guilavogui and Diego Luna before Binyamin stole it at the death. He celebrated so hard he got booked for it. Worth it.

Dallas Blitz the First Half

The visitors were sharp from the opening whistle. In the 16th minute, Valiente collected a pass from Ramiro at the top of the box and curled a left-footed shot into the bottom left corner. Four minutes later he turned provider, swinging in a cross that Musa headed home from point-blank range. Three shots, two goals, and RSL could barely get a foothold.

RSL found a way back in. Jonathan Sirois had already denied Solans and Noel Caliskan when, in the 38th minute, Luna whipped a low ball into a crowded box after a set piece and Solans redirected it into the top left corner. VAR checked it and the goal stood.

RSL nearly equalized three minutes later, when DeAndre Yedlin got his head to a Luna cross at the back post but sent it over the bar. Instead, Dallas restored the two-goal cushion right before the break. In the 45th minute, Valiente, going to ground, laid the ball off to Musa, who finished into the bottom right corner. 3-1 at halftime.

The Comeback

Dallas made a big call at the break, taking off Musa and Santiago Moreno for Logan Farrington and Binyamin. RSL brought on Saba Lobjanidze for Juan Arias, and the game changed shape fast.

Five minutes after the restart, Caliskan picked out an unmarked Guilavogui in the middle of the box, and Guilavogui slotted it into the bottom right corner. It was his second MLS goal of the season, according to RSL.

Dallas kept shooting, just not straight. Herman Johansson, Kaick, Binyamin and Farrington all fired over between the 54th and 59th minutes, and in the 64th, RSL punished them. Lobjanidze sent a cross to the back post, Luna peeled away from his marker and headed it into the top left corner. RSL said it was his first goal since May 9 at Dallas, ending a long personal drought at the perfect moment.

The Stunner

The last 25 minutes were pure chaos. Luna fired wide in the 81st minute. Pablo Ruiz forced Sirois into a save in the 86th. Farrington missed from close range off a corner in the 88th, and Sirois saved another Luna effort a minute later.

Then Binyamin happened. Ramiro found him outside the box in the 90th minute, and his right-footed shot beat Rafael for the winner. RSL's recap said the shot threaded its way through two defenders on the way in. Binyamin then picked up a yellow card for excessive celebration, which is the most relatable booking of the season.

RSL had four minutes of stoppage time to respond, but the equalizer never came.

Who Showed Up

Petar Musa needed just one half to do his damage: four shots, three on target and two goals before he came off at the break. MLSsoccer.com noted the brace made him the fifth player in league history to score at least 15 goals in each of his first three MLS seasons, joining names like Josef Martínez and David Villa.

Joaquín Valiente was the best player on the field: a goal, his first according to the AP, plus both assists for Musa.

Ran Binyamin came on at halftime, took two shots and scored with one of them. MLSsoccer.com described the Israeli youth international's goal as his first career MLS goal.

Diego Luna took four shots, scored the equalizer and set up Solans. He did everything except finish the comeback.

Ramiro quietly assisted the first and last goals of the night.

The Numbers That Matter

• 58.9 percent possession for RSL, plus a 7 to 5 edge in shots on target.
• 14 shots to 13, almost dead even in volume.
• 4 saves for Sirois, only one for Rafael. Dallas made their shots count.
• 18 interceptions and 30 clearances from Dallas, who spent the second half under siege.
• 27 crosses from RSL, two of which led directly to goals.

What It Means

Dallas move to 9-6-5 with 33 points, and MLSsoccer.com reported they are fifth in the Western Conference. This was a second straight league win after a 2-1 victory at Austin, and their sixth road win of the season against three road losses and two road draws. The AP noted it was also Dallas' 11th win in Utah, the most by any opponent. Dallas have now won both meetings this season, after taking the first 3-1 at home in May, the night Luna scored his previous goal. Next up is a trip to Vancouver on Saturday.

For RSL, this hurts. At 8-4-7 with 28 points, they are now winless in six MLS matches, a run that includes three losses and three draws, and their club listed them eighth in the West after the match. Coming back from two goals down and still losing is the kind of result that lingers. They visit Orlando City on Saturday.

Final Whistle

This was a playoff-intensity thriller dressed up as a midweek game in August, the soccer equivalent of a summer blockbuster that saves its best explosion for the final scene. Musa was the headliner. Luna nearly stole the show. But the closing credits belong to Binyamin, the halftime substitute whose first MLS goal sent a crowd of 20,632, per RSL, home stunned.

Stats from ESPN's match data. Additional details from Real Salt Lake (rsl.com), MLSsoccer.com and the AP recap via ESPN. No postgame quotes were available in the saved club or league coverage.